It’s getting to be the end of the month, and the Alias show on Netflix isn’t due until Nov 20th. I’m getting a little antsy, but not overmuch. Not yet.

No, I haven’t seen the trailer. Trailers are there to tease and convince viewers that they should watch a show. I’m not one for teasing. I’ve already made up my mind to watch it. I’m much more interested to see how these definitely more mature Netflix series connect to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. There are obvious ties between Agents of SHIELD and the MCU, simply by virtue of having the show grow out of the films. Those bonds are close.

What isn’t so close are the bonds between the Netflix shows and the larger MCU. Daredevil mentions things that happen in the Avengers, it mentions characters, but that seems to be a one-way street for now. Understandably, mentioning anything that happens in the SHIELD show or Daredevil would be superfluous within the greater tapestry that was Avengers: Age of Ultron because of everything else that had to be done to make that a good movie, but I’m expecting some sort of tendrils to be extended to Daredevil during Civil War. At least a mention. A cameo would be asking for a lot, but a mention (hopefully not in the background) would be better.

Because the Netflix shows are more mature, I don’t know if Marvel is going to try to downplay them. For all of the violence inherent in superheroes, there isn’t really a lot of violence that hits home. It doesn’t feel personal.

Daredevil seems to be ultra-violent in comparison. A great show (despite what I consider to be the racist, 80s killing of Ben Urich), but does it really fit within the greater MCU? Does that level of bloody, personal violence belong alongside what’s generally a PG-13 (at max) universe?

The Alias show is going in the same vein. Not necessarily the violence, but there’s talk of some highly sexual scenes. (This follows the comic.)

I don’t want this to feel like two sides of the same coin. I don’t want a Magneto/Xavier feel. What I’d like is for these shows to explore different parts of the MCU, but also be properly acknowledged in the films when possible. Civil War is a great place for that to happen. So will the third Avengers movies, since it’s going to be a universe-wide thing.

I want this to be connected. I don’t want another fumble like the Incredible Hulk film. (Fun for what it was, but still a fumble.) Hopefully, these shows will be acknowledged by the films.